Mulligan’s Brick Bar to be demolished Wednesday after large fire

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Mulligan's Brick Bar on Allen Street is set to be demolished Wednesday morning after a large fire broke out early Sunday morning, causing an estimated total of $2.1 million in damage, city officials said.

Crews will start demolition at 9 a.m. An investigation by the Buffalo Fire Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has officially ruled the cause of the fire as undetermined and it's being classified as accidental.

Officials said the fire was mostly likely the result of an electrical or mechanical malfunction.

The demolition was originally scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, but was put on a 24-hour pause Monday night. Acting Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon said in a statement that the decision followed conversations with the building's owner, Preservation Buffalo Niagara and community representatives.

"This pause will allow for further discussions to explore potential stabilization options for the building," Scanlon said. "Should a viable solution not be reached, demolition will proceed as planned on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, at 9:00 AM.”

Local preservationists said if the rest of the building can be stabilized, a historic tax credit program may pay for some of the cost to rebuild it.

The fire broke out just before 4 a.m. Sunday and caused an estimated $1.5 million in damage to the building’s structure and $600,000 to its contents.

"There are truly no words to express the heartbreak I feel for my bar — our bar — Mulligan’s Brick Bar," Mulligan's owner Kim Rossi said in a statement. "Following the devastating fire that occurred early Sunday morning, I am deeply saddened to share that the damage is beyond repair, and the bar is a total loss."

Rossi said she is donating salvageable items of historical significance to the Buffalo History Museum. She also said someone made a fake GoFundMe under the name of her late partner. GoFundMe told WIVB News 4 that the site was removed and the one $25 donation was refunded.

"Since the fire, the city was in close discussions with the owner in exploring multiple options to avoid total demolition," Scanlon said in a statement. "However, after careful consideration with the business owner, along with the urgent need and time sensitivity to address the immediate risk to public safety, and concern for the impact on other Allen Street businesses, we are in agreement to proceed with the demolition of Mulligan’s Brick Bar."

The building has been in the area since 1897 and is located next to where The Old Pink once stood before it was destroyed in a fire back in June. That fire caused an estimated $1.25 million in damages.

John W. Burns, 40, of Buffalo, was arrested and charged with setting fire to The Old Pink in September. In a press conference Sunday afternoon, officials said that there was no connection between the two fires.

The Allentown Association on Sunday had called for the preservation or partial preservation of the bar, with the building's facade being a priority.

GoFundMe verified two donation pages that were created for Mulligan's and those impacted by the fire, which can be found here and here.